Bittersweet Sorrow
by Lieutenant Nightwing
Summary: She was just a lonely girl, lost and longing for a purpose. That all changed when a kind priest took her in. Will she stay with him, or will she run from the darkness within him? :Full summary inside: AbelxOC
1. The Girl Whom Nobody Loved

Hi there! :) Lieutenant Nightwing reporting!

I know I had posted this up a bit earlier on in the week, but I noticed that there were a few mess-ups here and there, so I thought I would fix it up and give it a better feel and flow through the storyline. I would like to thank takozu for the review on my earliest of the chapter.

**Summary**: She was a lonely girl, lost and longing for a purpose. That all changed when a kind priest took her in. As she grew closer to him, she found out that not everything was as it seemed. Will she stay with him, or will she run away from the darkness within him?

**WARNING!** The rating may go from T to M later on in the story, due to hardcore violence and gore. _You have been warned!_

**Disclaimer**: Trinity Blood **DOES NOT**, I repeat **_DOES NOT_**, belong to me in any way, shape, or form known to man and the universe. All rights go to Sunao Yoshida ("Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord...), Kiyo Kujo, and FUNimation Studios.

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****Bittersweet Sorrow**

_Chapter 1: The Girl Whom No One Loved_

"HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE THIEF!"

It was a dark and stormy day in the city of Rome. A little girl ran through the rain drenched cobblestoned streets clutching a small bundle to her chest. Behind her, the police and the local baker ran chasing her throughout the city.

_How long will they keep this up?_, she thought_._ Quickly, in desperation, she tried to find a place to hide. Her mind raced alongside her thin legs, which miraculously kept moving even though she was dead tired. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon an old alleyway. With a swift kick of her heel against the cobblestones, she ducked low into the alleyway and hid behind a few old cardboard boxes, holding her breath as they searched hard for her.

"No sign of her anywhere," said one of the policemen.

"When I get my hands on that filthy little--"

"That'll be enough, sir. Just return to your shop; we'll keep in touch if we catch any sight of her again."

The moment their footsteps faded into the distance, the young girl heaved a long sigh of relief. Her heartbeat seemed to go back to the synced pattern of her calm breathing. She crawled out cautiously from her makeshift fortress and peered out to make sure they were truly gone. Then, with a joyous smile, she clambered out, and took out her prize from the bakery, only to be mistaken.

_I risked my entire life for this?!, _she thought_, a mere crust that couldn't even feed a church mouse?_

"Ah, well," she said with a sigh, "Better make due with what I have for now. After all, to a starving man, even the most meager of portions is a banquet fit for royalty."

As she began to take a bite, she thought she could hear a faint whimper. She looked up and saw a little black and white puppy come from out of the shadows, a hungry look in his eyes.

"Hey there, boy," she said, "What are doing out here?"

He walked up and nuzzled at her arm. She looked at him, then at the crust of bread in her hand. _He must be hungry, but I'm hungry, too,_ she thought_, and there's definitely not enough here to feed both of us._

With a faint sigh, she handed the bread to him. "Here," she said sweetly, "It's all I have, but you could use it more than me."

With a faint yelp, the puppy took the bread and ran back off into the shadows, never knowing or probably seeing the girl ever again.

***

The rain seemed to last for hours. The little girl had made her way out and sat under the awning of a small cafe. She was only fourteen years old, with dull mouse brown hair that hung in two long bangs hiding her face and draped below her lower back in a long braid, silver-streaked steel blue eyes that were shielded by round wire-rimmed glasses, and pale skin. The only clothing she had was a dingy yellow sweatshirt that was almost too big for her with a wing motif in the middle, and a pair of tattered khaki Capri's. She wore no shoes and her thin frail body was covered in cuts and bruises from falling out of fatigue and fighting others to gain access into enemy territory. Her left arm had been badly injured a few days before, so she had wrapped it in gauze, now dirty and bloodstained from the wounds.

"Oh, sky. Why should you be like this? You haven't lost anything dear to you," she murmured while looking up to the rain cloud. Then, with tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm the one who should be crying."

It was true; she had pretty much lost all that was important to her: her family, her best friend, the orphanage that had served as her only home...everything. She was all alone in the world.

The rain continued to pour down. Her body shivered from the cold and her stomach growled loudly with hunger. All she wanted was to be loved. With a sad heart, she lay her head down on her arms and softly cried herself to sleep.

***

Suddenly, she awoke to the sound of footsteps. Terrified that it was the police back after her, she got up on her arms and prepared to run, but she winced in pain as she landed on her injured left arm. The footsteps were growing closer. She had nowhere else to run. Closing her eyes, she hed her breath and silently prayed that they would just pass her by.

"Hello there."

She gasped softly and looked up. The owner of the kind voice was a man with long silvery hair and icy blue eyes in black priest vestments who stood there in the entrance of the alleyway gazing at her. In his hand was a navy blue umbrella.

"H-Hello, sir," she whispered hoarsely.

Slowly, he bent down to get a closer look at her. Terrified, she jumped back a bit and tried to scootch away. She had never been very fond of people, not for a long time.

"No, don't be afraid," he said gently, "I'm not here to hurt you."

He held his hand out to her. She looked at him with intention, and then resided back towards him. It seemed really odd to her that this man would continue to stay around her. He had no business to converse with the likes of her, anyway.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" he asked.

With tearful eyes, she answered in the same hoarse whisper she had given him before, "I...I'm lost."

"You're lost?"

She nodded and sniffled. He gave her a kind smile and brushed her tears away. "Well, there's no reason to fret, little one," he said, "I can help you find your way home. I'm sure your family's worried sick about you being out here all by yourself."

"I don't have a family," she replied, this time, the tears streamed heavier, "and I don't have a home." Sobbing, she murmured, "Please don't trouble yourself, Father. I'm not worth it."

How many times had he heard that? It made his heart grow heavy, for he knew it was wrong; and with each time he heard it, his heart grew heavier. It pained him to hear people say that, and for some reason, to hear this child say this made his heart feel like a lead weight hanging by a thin thread. _How much pain have you gone through to feel this way?,_ he thought as he watched this poor child cry_, Who has convinced you that you have no meaning in life?_ _For they are wrong...you are worth so much in the eyes of the Lord. _

"No," he finally said after a long silence, "that's not true."

He placed an arm around her shoulders and said, "You're worth more than you think. I know, deep down in my heart, that you are a sweet and precious little girl worth more than all the treasures in the world. There's no reason to feel this way..."

She didn't say anything. Her tears were still flowing, but she begin to feel uplifted, like a burden had been lifted from her back. "Do you really think so, sir?," she asked.

Smiling kindly, he nodded in reply. He then lifted himself up and held out his hand to her. "Come with me," he said, "I'll show you..."

She looked at him, wondering if it was all a lie, or a true blessing. Hoping that he was telling her the truth, she took his hand and felt him pull her up. His grip on her small wrist was strong and firm, yet gentle and soft. She didn't know whether to call him an angel or a man. She then stood there waivering a bit from weakness. What he saw astonished him: she was so frail and thin, he could almost see her skeleton draped underneath her taut pale skin through the grimy clothing that she wore. Her bony wrists were like twigs ready to snap in even the slightest of breezes and her ankles were no different.

_This child's going to keel over soon,_ he thought_, there's no way she could survive for so long in such a condition. It truly is a miracle that she has done so._

She suddenly began to sway and her eyes showed a bit of a hazy look in them. Faintness took over her whole body. She was beginning to fade. Though she wore glasses, her vision was becoming blurred from fatigue, and her breathing was troubled. The priest looked at her worried and said, "Are you alright?"

"I...I...Ah!"

Slowly, her legs gave way beneath her and she fell to the wet ground in a heap before she could even say anything else. Though the rain had faded into a drizzle and was beginning to clear off, she became soaked from the puddled up rainwater that remained n the cracks of the cobblestones. The priest rushed over to her, worried that he had predicted the truth in his thoughts. With a gentle hand, he tenderly lifted her fragile wrist; her pulse was normal but descending. She was not going to make it. "Stay with me," he pleaded, almost on the verge of tears himself, "Please stay with me."

She barely said anything, nor made any slight movements to give him a sign. _Dear Lord of heaven and earth_, he prayed, _don't let me lose her. _

"Father Abel Nightroad, status report?"

He gasped and turned towards the monotone voice. Another man, this time with chestnut brown hair, and eyes the color of black coffee, towered over him. The one called "Father Nightroad" lifted himself up and brushed off a bit of dust from his mantle.

"Oh, I'm alright, Tres," replied Father Nightroad, "but I'm afraid this little one is not."

Tres walked over to the child and lifted her head up. Giving her an analytical glance, he scanned over the child's pale face. "Her vital signs are beginning to fail due to malnourishment," he said as he lay her back down on the ground, "She does not have too long."

"I know..." replied Father Nighroad sadly.

"It is best for us to continue on our way back and just leave her here to die."

"Die?!," yelped Father Nightroad, "Tres! We can't do that! She's just a little girl!"

"What use do we have of her?," asked Tres sternly, "None of known origin, Father Nightroad. We must proceed."

Abel stayed there stubbornly as Tres walked off. Watching her, he noticed that she was still breathing, just barely though. He then thought about something, and then said, "Tres, you don't think Lady Caterina would mind if I brought her back to the Vatican with us? We have been in need of new recruits lately."

Tres looked over at him and at the girl. His keen hearing picked up faint heart rhthyms from her chest, signaling to him that she could still make it if they hurried. Then, he said, "Acknowledged, Father Nightroad."

With a grateful smile, he turned and picked up the child, cradling her up against his warm body. He could hear her lightly breathing against his cassock. _Good,_ he thought_, she just fell asleep. _She gripped at his mantle and faintly nuzzled up against him for warmth. With a light chuckle, he thought_, She certainly is cute when she sleeps. _

Tres looked over at the child and gave what looked like a faint smile as well, but his comrade couldn't exactly tell. After saying a prayer of thanks, Father Nightroad then looked back at the sleeping child.

"Don't worry little one," he murmured sweetly, "You'll be home soon."

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**ChapterSong**: "In the Shadow, In the Light" by ENIGMA

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I really hope this turned out okay. The original was good, but just needed a little work :) Please tell me if it went out okay!

Again, thanks to takozu for the earlier review! Kudos! X3

Reviews and contructive criticism are always welcomed and appreciated. The reward of virtual chocolate chip cookies will be presented to whomever presents me with one, the other, or both :)

Lieutenant Nightwing, signing out!


	2. Home of the Longing Heart

Hey there! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while; I've been real busy, what with school, getting ready for college, and a bit of family trouble (don't really want to go in to further detail with that). We now get to dive deeper into the mystery that surrounds this mysterious young girl that Abel has picked up. Who is she? What was her purpose of being out on that rainy day? Will she be in his care? Wanna know? Read on, my fellow friends! :)

**Disclaimer**: Just a little reminder: Trinity Blood _**DOES NOT**_ belong to me. I give all credit to Sunao Yoshida, Kiyo Kujo, and FUNimation studios.

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_Chapter 2: Home of the Longing Heart_

Light pierced through her delicate eyelids. The girl cautiously pried them open, only to behold a blurred world. Reaching for her glasses, she lifted herself up and looked around after putting them on. She rose from her spot to find that not all was what it seemed; it was a small hospital room. The room was a simple one, with just a bed, a side table, a desk and a chair. A few pictures hung on the wall, mainly of landscapes. Above the side table hung a small wooden crucifix. The settings didn't seem right to her. She looked at herself to see fresh clean bandages on her arm and her body clothed in a long-sleeved white hospital gown. Her long hair had been let down so that it touched beyond the small of her back. None of this seemed right to her at all.

_Where am I?_, she demanded in her thoughts_, What am I doing here? Who brought me here? I don't belong in this place. I've got to get out of here...I've just got to get out of here!_

The girl lifted herself up in order to escape. She then looked at the end of her bed. Someone had been so kind as to offer her some breakfast, which consisted of a tray of oatmeal, toast, and orange juice. The girl backed away from it for a minute or two, worried that it might be poisoned, but the constant growling of her empty stomach made her give in. With a loud ravenous cry, she hungrily tore into her breakfast, still fairly warm. Even if it was poisoned, food was still food, and so far, some of the best she had ever eaten in a long time.

"Good morning," said a familiar voice.

She looked up to see the priest that had taken her in from the rain. "Good morning, sir," she replied before going back and nibbling on a piece of toast. He came in and sat at the foot of the bed, watching her with gentle eyes.

"I see you've enjoyed your breakfast," replied the priest as he looked at the empty food dishes.

Nodding, she answered, "Thank you, Father."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Forgive me of my rudeness," he replied, "My name is Father Abel Nightroad. I'm a traveling priest for the Vatican. What is your name?"

She gave a small smile and replied, "I'm Prena Barthallowmen."

"Prena...that's a very pretty name."

"Thank you. The Sisters told me it means 'life's breath' in an ancient language, but they don't know which one."

He smiled, but then became worried when her once smiling face evaporated into sadness. She then lifted herself from the bed and walked over to the window seat, staring out the window with remorse. Abel proceded to follow her. He sat down across from her and looked as she sat there, her arms gripping at her bony knees. Focusing on what had caught her eye, he noticed a smoldered area close by, still black with ashes and soot, where a building had burned.

"What was that?," he asked gently, hoping to not cause her to go into hysterics if it was something important.

"That was once St. Mamas* Orphanage," she said with a sigh, "It was my only home. It was where I went to school, made friends, and lived. I had nowhere else to go but there."

Abel kindly listened as she continued with, "Someone had been so cruel as to burn down the orphanage. I remember it as if it were yesterday...the rooms were filled with smoke, little children were crying, and I should've not survived."

She was starting to cry. With a compassionate look in his kind eyes, he asked, "Why do you feel that way, Prena? Please tell me...I want to help you if can."

She wouldn't talk anymore. He took that as a gesture of resonance and left it at that, not wishing to upset the child any further. Silence filled the room once again, like water in a bucket. Prena sat there still staring out the window, thinking about the memories left in the smoldering pile of ashes. Father Nightroad then seemed to grow lost in his thoughts again and he then asked her, "You said your last name was Barthallowmen, am I right?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded. "I knew your father very well," he continued, "He was a good man, Prena. Strong, brave, and kind. We became very good friends and colleages."

"You knew my dad?"

"Yes, Prena. I knew your mother, as well. She was a sweet and generous woman, and beautiful, too. You know, you look just like her, but you have your father's eyes."

She smiled tearfully. _So_, she thought_, he knew..._

He tenderly brushed back her tears, and then took her into his arms and held her. She lightly gasped in amazement. It was just like a dream to her...like the sweetest dream imaginable. She was already starting to grow fond of him. Gently, she lay her head upon his chest and took in this feeling of new found peace that she had never known about. This man...this priest's prescence made her feel at ease. She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel so calm. Was it the light scent of soap bubbles lingering on his skin, or the lulling qualities of his heartbeat in her ears, or maybe it was the firm yet soft grip of his arms holding her close to him? She couldn't say for certain, but whatever it was...it renewed her...in mind, body, and spirit.

"Father? Had you called for me?"

She felt him jump slightly as she pulled away from his grip and looked up. A young nun, possibly in her late twenties with pale lavender eyes and dusty blond hair, stood in the doorway looking at the two.

"Ah, Sister Heather," he said as she came in, "Just the person I wanted to see."

He gently pulled Prena up from her spot and said as he pulled her alongside him, "If you would be so kind as to take Miss. Prena to go and freshen up a bit, I'm sure she would be very much obliged. Oh, and make sure she has a clean uniform, just in case."

Prena looked up and said, "But what about-?"

"Don't worry," he replied, "We'll have to discuss your joining the AX with Lady Caterina more in depth, but until then, you will be permitted to wear the uniform."

She nodded and then followed Sister Heather towards the bathrooms.

***

"Wow, you must be very brave to have lived out on the streets for so long."

Prena sat there in the tub soaking in the new feelings she had never felt before. It was definately better than having to scavenge for a small freezing cold rain puddle to bathe in. The feel of warm water tingled slightly along her parched skin. A content smile lit up her face. It felt so good!

"It was nothing," cooed Prena as she immersed herself further into the warm depths of the sweet cherry almond scented bubbly water, letting each one of her troubles rinse off of her body. Sister Heather watched her and smiled, a soft cotton towel lay across her arm. Suddenly, she gasped as Prena dunked her entire body into the water and held herself down for over three minutes. She rushed towards the door in order to call for Father Nightroad, but paused as she watched Prena raise her head from the water. The young girl shook her head, turned towards Sister Heather, and giggled.

"Did I scare you, Sister?," she asked, still giggling from her little joke.

Sister Heather shook her head and smiled. "Only for a moment," she replied with a laugh.

Prena climbed slowly out of the tub and felt Sister Heather wrapped the towel around her. She buried her face into the soft cotton terry weave and exhaled a long contented sigh. Feeling a pull at her long hair, she felt Sister Heather tousle her hair in another towel, shaking her head the moment the kind nun had finished. Sitting on the edge of the tub with the towel around her waist, she watched as Sister Heather brought out a small tin in her hands.

"Now, hold still," she said gently, "This may sting just a bit."

Prena tensed up a bit, but relaxed as Sister Heather's soft hands gently rubbed soothing ointment on the cuts along her back. She did not fret at all while Sister Heather took care of her. Once she had finished, she told Prena to be patient while she went to go and get a clean uniform for Prena.

"Before you go, can I make a request?"

Sister Heather turned towards the child and said, "Of course, dear. What do you need?"

"C-Could you please bring me the priest's uniform?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but then smiled and answered, "Yes, dear. I'll do my best to find one in your size."

***

"Here she is, Father Nightroad!"

He looked up at her and smiled in amazement. She stood beside Sister Heather with a shy smile on her pale coral pink lips. What was once dull mouse brown hair had transformed into a beautiful tawny color like sunlit honey flowing fresh and golden from the comb, and her skin was like fine porcelain. Her cheeks gave a healthy pinkish glow, and her steel blue eyes glittered like sapphires. She was clad in the traditional priest's uniform: a long black cassock with a white stripe going down alongside the zipper, a large golden pectoral cross and gold neckpin, and a long black mantle with the same white stripe as the cassock.

"What do you think, Father?," she asked as she did a twirl to make the mantle bell out like a lily's flower petals in the breeze.

He smiled and answered, "I think it looks wonderful on you, Prena, but there is something missing..."

"What's that?"

Smiling gently at her, he placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a long black hair ribbon. She softly gasped as he said, "It's one of my spares. I thought you might like to have one, as kind of a...token of your ordaining."

She reached over and pulled from out of her long braid a dingy red ribbon, given to her by her best friend at St. Mamas. It was very special to her. She thought it over for a little bit of time. Then, with a smile, she held the old red ribbon in her teeth, while she put on the new one at the top of her long braid.

"There," he said, "Now you're ready."

He then looked at his watch and exclaimed, "Good heavens! We're going to be late for our appointment with Her Excellency. Come, we must hurry!"

***

Sitting in the office of the great Lady Caterina Sforza was a bit unnerving for the young girl now sitting in one of the fine crushed velvet chairs. Prena bit her lip in anticipation and fear. She didn't really know what to say to her. Her Ecellency looked over the child's paperwork and looked up at the child.

"Your name is Barthallowmen, is it not?"

"Ye-Yes ma'am."

Her Excellency gave a faint smile and said, "We knew your parents vrey well. Both of them were wonderful assets to the agency. I miss them dearly."

Prena nodded sadly. The way everyone here talked about her parents around there made her feel sad; she never got the chance to meet them. She then watched as Lady Caterina turned her gaze towards Abel and say, "And you said you found this child in an alleyway?"

"Well, I, uh...yes ma'am. She was alone and needed me at the time."

"I see...and yet you offered her a clean uniform without any identification that she is an officer?"

Prena bowed her head submissively and tried to hide it in the thick fold of the mantle's collar. Abel gave a nervous glance and replied, "But she was in rags. I didn't want her to feel like she had to wear those dingy worn-out clothes to her ordination--"

"That depends on whether or not she wants to be ordained, Father Nightroad."

She then turned towards Prena. The child flinched slightly, but felt reassured as Abel placed a hand on her back and murmured, "Go on. I'm right here."

With a clearing of her throat, Prena stated, "Your Excellency, I wish to imform you that I will be joining the AX prior to this day. I have been treated so kindly by all of you, what more could I ask but to come with you? I promise to you and to all fellow AX officers that I will do my part to make the best of my abilities and provide a strong asset to the organization."

Lady Caterina smiled and said, "Very well, we accept your terms of acceptance. But because you are a young child, you will be granted a guardian to keep watch over you. Therefore, I'm assigning Father Abel Nightroad to be your guardian. Mayhe watch over you, keep you, and teach you in the ways of our agency."

With tears of joy in her eyes, she nodded in acceptance of the offer, and then turned to Father Nightroad. "I get to stay with you," she said as she grabbed in him an embrace.

He smiled and replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Then, taking her chin in his hand, he said, "I am truly blessed, little one. You do not know how much it makes me happy to be your guardian."

She gave a wistful smile and said with thought, "Someday, I hope to be as great as my mom and dad were."

"No...," said Abel as he shook his head. Prena frowned and turned her head away to hide her unhappiness. But then, her face broke out into a smile again as he said, "You'll be better. Trust me."

She laughed and embraced him again. "Thanks, Father," she said, "I won't let you or the others down." Then, with a turn of her heel, she ran out of the room and towards the gardens.

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**ChapterSong**: "Lyse Rom" by Anita Skorgan**

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**Author's Notes**

*St. Mamas was the patron saint of guardians, orphans, and torture victims.

**"Lyse Rom" translates from Norwegian as "Bright Room".

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I know that this wasn't written during one of my best writing moods, but I do hope you liked it :) I'll try my hardest to post more ASAP, which should be easy since next week is SPRING BREAK!!! :D YAY! Party time!!! *_puts on Kate Skate's "Omnibus" and starts dancing like a maniac_*

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed and appreciated :)


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